An elderly man who went missing was found on remote hills in a major rescue.

Firefighters say the 81-year-old was lucky to be alive after nearly six hours of being exposed to cold and rain.

He was found by a dog walker on hills near Canterbury Road, Etchinghill, half a mile from the nearest farm.

Folkestone Fire Station watch manager Giles Parker said: “If that dog walker hadn’t found him in time it would have been a body recovered.

“He was out there for hours in the cold during rain showers, but was found before storms broke.”

The man was reported missing at 3pm yesterday and found at 8.40pm who then called police.

Conventional fire engines, police and ambulance vehicles couldn’t reach the remote area where he was found so an all-terrain fire vehicle from Herne Bay was called out.

Rescuers had to traipse through muddy fields and the terrain became so difficult to get through at one stage that firefighters had to cut a tree in their path.

The crews who rescued the victim then handed him over to paramedics. Two fire engines from Folkestone were among the vehicles involved in the operation.

South East Coast Ambulance Service sent a paramedic car, ambulance and HART (Hazard Area Response Team) vehicle.

A spokesman said: “It was a challenging rescue.”

The man was found to have no major injuries but was described by paramedics as suffering slight hypothermia and fully conscious but confused.

It is not certain why he went missing in the first place.